4 books every aspiring startup founder should read

<img alt="Book" height="359" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA4LzgyL2Jvb2suNDIzOTMuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJOTUweDUzNCMKZQlqcGc/ea83e938/843/book.jpg" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 24.7869319915772px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be able to juggle several hats at the same time. Identifying a problem and developing a scalable solution is the easy bit. Your initial days as a founder may be spent coding and refining the technical architecture, but then comes a concerted effort on streamlining operations, drumming up sales, and executing a marketing strategy.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> In an ideal scenario, founders already have experience in what it takes to build a company. They might have worked different jobs in the past or have a fancy college degree which will, at the very least, point them in the right direction. But startups are tricky; be prepared to dig deep and get your hands dirty. Fortunately there's a wealth of advice out there from people who've achieved brilliant things and want to give their knowledge to others like them. In no particular order, here are four books every aspiring tech founder should read.</div> <h3 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">1. <em>Zero to One</em> — Peter Thiel</span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Peter Thiel needs no introduction. As the co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, the American entrepreneur has done and seen it all. In his book, which Forbes says "makes you feel superhuman", Peter outlines how great companies are born out of nothing. <em>Zero to One</em> urges founders to look at areas which are underserved and where they can carve out a niche — building a loyal base of customers which you can use as a foundation to scale.</div> <div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;"> <div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Peter knows what he's talking about — after all his net worth is approximately US$2.2 billion. Other chapters in his book talk about the nature of competition, the essence of building products investors will be interested in, and how it's essential to have a great team.</div> <h3 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">2. <em>The Hard Thing About Hard Things</em> — Ben Horowitz</span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of one of the most recognized names in venture capital —<a href="http://a16z.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Andreessen Horowitz</a>. Prior to his role as a VC, Ben worked at Netscape, eventually going on to build an enterprise software company — Opsware — which was sold to HP for US$1.6 billion in cash. He's been there and done that.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em>The Hard Thing About Hard Things</em> outlines Ben's journey in refreshing honesty. It takes you through the highs and lows — an inevitable course for any founder trying to make it big. The book is written more in a personal narrative style but that's a good thing. It goes to show no founder can ever dream of making an impact without having to go through trials and tribulations. There's advice on almost everything you need to do to build a world-class company — acting and thinking like a leader, measuring performance, and focusing on product.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!6471" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!6471" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2LzJhL2Jlbmhvcm93aXR6LjQwZTZmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/14671b05/b21/ben-horowitz-tech-in-asia-tokyo-2015-05-720x480.jpg" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="ben-horowitz-tech-in-asia-tokyo-2015-05" data-fragment="m!6471" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2LzJhL2Jlbmhvcm93aXR6LjQwZTZmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/14671b05/b21/ben-horowitz-tech-in-asia-tokyo-2015-05-720x480.jpg" data-micro="1" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/11/08/books-startup-founder/" data-width="720" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2LzJhL2Jlbmhvcm93aXR6LjQwZTZmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/14671b05/b21/ben-horowitz-tech-in-asia-tokyo-2015-05-720x480.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></div> <br /> <h3 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">3. <em>The Lean Startup</em> — Eric Ries</span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Rated as a <em>New York Times</em> best-seller, <em>The Lean Startup</em> teaches founders how to hustle, stretch budgets, and scale operations without burning too much cash. Eric wants you to learn how to be successful without wasting too many resources. The book counts on five basic principles as the cornerstone for success, allowing you to make better, faster business decisions in a landscape where speed and execution is everything. It cites Dropbox as one of the companies which successfully incorporated advice to scale quickly.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <strong></strong></div> <div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;"> <strong>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/ben-horowitz-tech-in-asia-tokyo-2015/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none;" target="_blank">Ben Horowitz on tough decisions, Asia, and why he's not friends with Marc Andreessen</a></strong><div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> </div> <h3 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">4. <em>Startup Playbook</em> — Sam Altman</span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Sam Altman is the president of <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Y Combinator</a> — a Silicon Valley-based accelerator and one of the most prestigious names in the startup world today. The accelerator counts Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit as some of the companies that have graduated from its program. It is known for its unnerving focus on urging founders to "build something people want."</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> More than a hundred Y Combinator graduates are worth at least US$100 million or more, with a combined market capitalization of above US$65 billion. Clearly it's doing something right when it comes to mentorship and advice.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em><a href="http://playbook.samaltman.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Startup Playbook</a></em> is an effort by Sam Altman to collate all the advice Y Combinator gives its resident companies. The book deals with how to start a company — one that users love and are eager to spread the word about. However, Sam clearly outlines that this is probably the first in a two-book series, talking exclusively about the initial stages of a startup. Scaling, which is also important, will be addressed in the second part — yet unreleased.</div> <ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.5em; padding: 0px;"> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/5KqN7ndnrak/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Network late into the night at Tech in Asia Jakarta with Night Crawl</a></li> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/1le2xRGnt1k/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">As ecommerce booms in India, startups and giants rush to $300b logistics business</a></li> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/FkTNMTH0Z1A/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">5 questions to ask yourself before accepting a startup job</a></li> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/uPts9WN7Ml4/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">DNA-testing startup gets funding injection from Lippo-backed VC, enters Indonesia</a></li> </ul> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> This article originally published at Tech in Asia <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/4-books-aspiring-startup-founder-read/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">here</a></div> </section>

4 books every aspiring startup founder should read

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be able to juggle several hats at the same time. Identifying a problem and developing a scal...

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LinkedIn pays big after class action lawsuit over user emails

<img alt="Linkin907" height="359" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzAzLzhiL2xpbmtpbjkwNy43MTViOC5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/20cac4ec/7b9/linkin907.jpg" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The company known for using reminder emails to get you to use its professional networking service will now have to pay a hefty sum for taking the tactic a bit too far.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> In an email sent by LinkedIn on Friday, users were notified that they were eligible for a class action settlement related to email marketing. The company has agreed to pay out $13 million to users who may have been impacted by its Add Connections service. The settlement stems from a 2013 class action lawsuit filed in California.</div> <div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 25px; text-transform: uppercase;"> <div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> LinkedIn's Add Connections program allowed users to import their personal contacts into the company's system and then have invitations to connect on LinkedIn sent out on their behalf. However, if a recipient of the invitation email didn't accept the invitation within a certain amount of time, LinkedIn would then send two follow up emails repeating the invitation.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you're a big fan of LinkedIn, that's called thorough follow-up. But others, less familiar with the service, might consider such messages to be annoying spam. What makes such an instance worse is if the recipient thinks the spammy messages are coming from you, a person they know, rather than a third party.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The key here is in LinkedIn's email persistence without the user's consent. On the <a href="http://www.addconnectionssettlement.com%20/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">settlement website</a>, Gilardi & Co., the legal firm handling the payout, states:</div> <blockquote style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 4px; border-style: none none none solid; color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"> <div style="font-size: 1.5rem; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The Court found that members consented to importing their contacts and sending the connection invitation, but did not find that members consented to LinkedIn sending the two reminder emails.</div> </blockquote> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Within the settlement notification emails are individual claim ID numbers, which can then be used to file a claim for your chunk of $13 million. Of course, no one is expecting any of the claimants to win big money, but if the final tally of any of the claimants results in an individual payout of less than $10, LinkedIn has agreed to add an additional $750,000 to the overall payout fund.</div> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <span class="lightbox-expand"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!9959" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></span></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!9959" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzAzL2U5L2VtYWlvLmViNjFkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c574451f/c89/emaio.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/03/linkedin-class-action/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/03/linkedin-class-action/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/03/linkedin-class-action/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/03/linkedin-class-action/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="emaio" class="for-lightbox" data-caption="" data-credit-link="" data-credit-name="" data-credit-provider="" data-fragment="m!9959" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzAzL2U5L2VtYWlvLmViNjFkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c574451f/c89/emaio.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="950" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzAzL2U5L2VtYWlvLmViNjFkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c574451f/c89/emaio.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" title="emaio" /></div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> LinkedIn's payout is designed to cover a broad range of email activity, from September 17, 2011 and October 31, 2014. But for LinkedIn users, there's a catch. On the claim form you must swear (under penalty of perjury) that you were indeed a user of Add Connections during the aforementioned time span. So if you're just annoyed by LinkedIn emails, but aren’t sure if you used Add Connections yourself, you may want to check before you submit your claim for a slice of the payout.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Although LinkedIn is making the massive payment to address legal claims around email abuse, the company itself hasn't directly admitted to any wrongdoing.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> When contacted by <em>Mashable</em>, a LinkedIn spokesperson stated that because the court, "suggested that we could be more clear about the fact that we send reminder emails about pending invitations from LinkedIn members, we have made changes to our product and Privacy Policy. Ultimately, we decided to resolve this case so that we can put our focus where it matters most: finding additional ways to improve our members’ experiences on LinkedIn."</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The deadline for filing a claim is December 14.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

LinkedIn pays big after class action lawsuit over user emails

The company known for using reminder emails to get you to use its professional networking service will now have to pay a hefty sum for ta...

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Top 10 U.S. Cities With the Most Satisfied Employees

<img alt="San-francisco-skyline-7" height="359" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzAxL3NhbmZyYW5jaXNjLjJmOTM5LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/65d75d8d/e45/san-francisco-skyline-7.jpg" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you're looking to relocate or launch your career, you may want to pack your bags and head over to San Jose, Salt Lake City or Oklahoma City.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> San Jose, home to companies like Google and eBay, is ranked the No. 1 city with the most satisfied employees, according to Glassdoor. The jobs website, which compiles data about workplaces across the country, has released a list of top 50 cities with the <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/san-jose-ca-1-city-employee-satisfaction-glassdoors-employment-satisfaction-report-card-city-2014/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">most satisfied employees</a>.</div> <div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 25px; text-transform: uppercase;"> <div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The report reveals how the largest U.S. metros compare in terms of employee satisfaction, number of employees hiring and business outlook over the past 12 months, according to local employee feedback.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The study graded cities on a five-point scale, with a score of 1.0 indicating very dissatisfied and 5.0 indicating very satisfied.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> We checked out the list, and narrowed it down to the top 10 cities where employees are most satisfied.</div> <section class="gallery list" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(246, 245, 242); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px; padding: 10px 0px;"><div class="content"> <ul class="slides" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">1. San Jose, California</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Sanjosecalifornia" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzQ3L3Nhbmpvc2VjYWxpLjczMGJjLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/cfd55769/fa4/sanjosecalifornia.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> San Jose topped the list with <b>4,200</b> employers who posted at least one job listing. Its overall satisfaction rating was 3.5, which shows that even the best cities have room for improvement. The highest-rated companies were <a href="http://mashable.com/category/glassdoor" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Google</a>, Stanford University and <a href="http://mashable.com/category/ebay" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">eBay</a>. Three jobs in-demand here are software engineers, product managers and data scientists.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_tahoe_guy/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">THE_TAHOE_GUY</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">2. San Francisco, California</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="San_francisco_bay_aerial_view" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzhlL3Nhbl9mcmFuY2lzLjUwNTM2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/96298853/de6/san_francisco_bay_aerial_view.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> The Bay Area must be doing something right. San Francisco landed in second place with <b>7,632</b>employers hiring. Home to high-rated companies like <a href="http://mashable.com/category/twitter" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a>, Riverbed Technology and Genentech, San Fran earned an overall satisfaction rating of 3.4. If you’re looking to work as a software engineer, business analyst or recruiter, this is the city to live in.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">3. Washington, D.C.</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Washington_d-c-_-_2007_aerial_view" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzL2M2L3dhc2hpbmd0b24uYjVhM2QuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/c7c58c4c/ffd/washington_d-c-_-_2007_aerial_view.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Washington, D.C. came out in third place with a whopping <b>8,658</b> employers hiring and an overall satisfaction rating of 3.4. It jumped up two spots from last year’s report. Among the highest-rated companies were American University, George Mason University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Java developers, business analysts and technical writers are the top three jobs in demand here.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_metropolitan_area" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">4. Norfolk, Virginia</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Uss_george_washington_in_norfolk_naval_station" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzgxL3Vzc19nZW9yZ2UuMTk1OTQuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/f9b6b6f8/d17/uss_george_washington_in_norfolk_naval_station.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> In fourth place, Norfolk had an overall satisfaction rating of 3.4 with <b>2,137</b> job listings. The city's highest rated companies were the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. Sales associates, project managers and occupational therapists are the three jobs most in-demand here.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_(Virginia)" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">5. Salt Lake City, Utah</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Saltlake" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzL2QxL3NhbHRsYWtlLjhmN2U0LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/6eacd246/452/saltlake.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Customer service representatives, software engineers and administrative assistants are among the top jobs its <b>2,263</b> employers are looking to fill. With an overall rating of 3.4, employees were most satisfied working for these three companies: Fusion-io, University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aniko_attila/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ANIKO_ATTILA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">6. San Diego, California</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Downtownsandiegofromtheairnov08" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzdlL2Rvd250b3duc2FuLmU4ZGVlLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/9282ebe0/b8f/downtownsandiegofromtheairnov08.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> With <b>3,723</b> employers hiring, San Diego earned a 3.3 satisfaction rating. U.S. Marine Corps, Qualcomm and UC San Diego lead the pack of employees who are most satisfied. Employers in this city are looking most for software engineers, sales associates and cooks.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_San_Diego" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">7. Seattle, Washington</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Seattle" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzEyL3NlYXR0bGUuNDUzMmYuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/f95a1a23/7d1/seattle.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Seattle, with a 3.3 overall satisfaction rating rating, arrives in seventh place with <b>4,834</b> employers hiring. Among open positions, Seattle employers are in search of project managers, software engineers and customer service representatives. Employees named <a href="http://mashable.com/category/zillow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Zillow</a>, University of Washington and <a href="http://mashable.com/category/starbucks" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Starbucks</a> the most satisfying places to work.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/anupamsrivastava/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ANUPAMSRIVASTAVA</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">8. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Oklahomacity" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzBhL29rbGFob21hY2l0LjI5YzU5LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/5a228378/b5f/oklahomacity.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Among the <b>2,200</b> job listings in Oklahoma, employers are looking to fill sales associate, cook and occupational therapist positions. The city had a 3.3 overall satisfaction rating. Employees were the most satisfied working for the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Chesapeake Energy.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/katsrcool/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">KATSRCOOL</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">9. San Antonio, Texas</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Downtown_san_antonio_view" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzL2NhL2Rvd250b3duX3NhLjE0MTI2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/ad0c3b17/bdd/downtown_san_antonio_view.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Nearly closing out this list is San Antonio, which saw <b>2,882</b> employers posting at least one job listing. Employers that had the highest ratings were the University of Texas at San Antonio, HEB and USAA. At a 3.3 rating, San Antonio is in need of customer service representatives, bartenders and restaurant managers.</div> <div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"> IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_San_Antonio_View.JPG" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIMEDIA COMMONS</a></div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 20px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">10. Austin, Texas</span></h2> <figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Austintexas" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzdjL2F1c3RpbnRleGFzLmQ3OWEyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/ac4882b6/575/austintexas.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;"> Austin sits at the 10th spot with a 3.3 overall satisfaction rating and <b>3,872</b> employers looking to hire. Employees are the most satisfied working for HomeAway, the University of Texas at Austin and National Instruments. Among the open positions listed, there's a need for engineers, business analysts and staff accountants.</div> </div> </li> <li class="slide top" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><div style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Curious to see what other cities made the list? Here are the complete results:</div> <div style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <a href="http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;"></a></div> <figure class="image" style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><a href="http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!5906" style="color: #00aeef;"></a><div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!5906" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzhhL0dEX0VtcGxveW1lLjBhYWMyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/8ee2ccb7/690/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/14/cities-satisfied-employees/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/14/cities-satisfied-employees/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/14/cities-satisfied-employees/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/14/cities-satisfied-employees/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Top 50 Cities With the Most Satisfied Employees" class="" data-caption="Glassdoor's report reveals how the largest United States metros compare in terms of employee satisfaction, number of employees hiring and business outlook over the past 12 months, according to local employee feedback." data-credit-label="" data-credit-link="http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/san-jose-ca-1-city-employee-satisfaction-glassdoors-employment-satisfaction-report-card-city-2014/" data-credit-name="Glassdoor" data-credit-provider="Custom type" data-fragment="m!5906" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzhhL0dEX0VtcGxveW1lLjBhYWMyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/8ee2ccb7/690/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="641" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA2LzEzLzhhL0dEX0VtcGxveW1lLjBhYWMyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/8ee2ccb7/690/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Top 50 Cities With the Most Satisfied Employees" /></div> <br /><figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><br />Glassdoor's report reveals how the largest United States metros compare in terms of employee satisfaction, number of employees hiring and business outlook over the past 12 months, according to local employee feedback.</figcaption><br /><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <a href="http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GD_EmploymentSatisfaction_byCity_Final.jpg" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;"><br />IMAGE: </a><a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/san-jose-ca-1-city-employee-satisfaction-glassdoors-employment-satisfaction-report-card-city-2014/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">GLASSDOOR</a></div> </figure><br style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px;" /> <div style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> </div> <div style="font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div> </li> </ul> </div> </section>

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Top 10 Jobs With the Highest Work-Life Balance

<img alt="Jobs with the highest work-life balance" height="640" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3L2Q3L3dvcmtsaWZlYmFsLjY0ZDExLnBuZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/7cf988f4/ba3/worklifebalance-01.png" width="360" /><br /> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Balancing your career and personal life is no easy task.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> But if you're a data scientist, tour guide or social media manager, it may be easier to maintain a healthy work-life balance, according to Glassdoor.</div> <div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 25px; text-transform: uppercase;"> <div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">jobs site</a>, which compiles data about workplaces, released a list of the top highly rated jobs for work-life balance. The results are entirely based on employee feedback over the past year.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The report looked at work-life balance ratings for each job title shared on Glassdoor in the last year, and took business outlook ratings into consideration. Ratings were based on a five-point scale, with "1" representing "dissatisfied," "3" representing "OK" and "5" meaning "very satisfied."</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you're looking to achieve work-life balance, you may want to consider one of these professions.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 1. Data scientist</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Receiving a <strong>4.4</strong> rating for work-life balance, data scientists grabbed the No. 1 spot. In the survey, about 74% of employees say the business will get better, while 5% believe it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "Not only is everyone incredibly sharp and very good at their jobs, but also, almost without exception, everyone is a pleasure to work and associate with," <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Facebook-RVW4228118.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">says a data scientist</a> atFacebook. "I'm given an incredible work-life balance."</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 2. SEO specialist</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists come in at a close second with a <strong>4.3</strong> work-life balance rating. About 75% of current employees believe the business will get better; 11% say it will get worse.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 3. Tour guide</h2> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <span class="lightbox-expand"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!f8cb" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></span></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!f8cb" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzVjL3RvdXJndWlkZS5jMjg2OC5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/82be200c/711/tourguide.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Tour guide" class="for-lightbox" data-caption="Tour guides rank third on the list of jobs with the highest work-life balance. " data-credit-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnloo/" data-credit-name="johnloo" data-credit-provider="Flickr" data-fragment="m!f8cb" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzVjL3RvdXJndWlkZS5jMjg2OC5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/82be200c/711/tourguide.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzVjL3RvdXJndWlkZS5jMjg2OC5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/82be200c/711/tourguide.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" title="Tour guide" /></div> <br /> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> Tour guides rank third on the list of jobs with the highest work-life balance.</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnloo/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">JOHNLOO</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The job that allows you to interact with people from around the world takes the third spot with a rating of <strong>4.3</strong>. Nearly 59% feel this job will get better and only 7% say it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "You learn a lot about customer service, you get to take different workshops and classes, and managers work with you and have your best interest at heart," <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-The-Fox-Theatre-Atlanta-RVW3299659.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">says a tour guide</a> who works at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. "You meet a lot of new people and it is a great environment to work in."</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 4. Lifeguard</h2> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!23a5" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!23a5" data-image="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3L2JjL0xpZmVndWFyZC41NGU3Yy5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/a3251664/823/Lifeguard.png" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Lifeguard" class="" data-caption="Lifeguarding comes in fourth place. " data-credit-label="" data-credit-link="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lifeguard.png" data-credit-name="Wikimedia Commons" data-credit-provider="Custom type" data-fragment="m!23a5" data-image="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3L2JjL0xpZmVndWFyZC41NGU3Yy5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/a3251664/823/Lifeguard.png" data-micro="1" data-width="604" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3L2JjL0xpZmVndWFyZC41NGU3Yy5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDk2MDA-/a3251664/823/Lifeguard.png" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Lifeguard" /></div> <br /> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> Lifeguarding comes in fourth place.</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lifeguard.png" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WIKIMEDIA COMMONS</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Coming in at fourth, lifeguarding jobs have a work-life balance rating of <strong>4.3</strong>. Approximately 33% the sector will get better and, perhaps unsurprisingly, 0% think it will get worse.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 5. Social media manager</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Social media managers land in the fifth spot with a rating of <strong>4.3</strong>. A positive 76% think the field will improve and 10% believe it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "I feel that the work I do is important, both to Abstrakt and our clients but also to my professional development as well," <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Abstrakt-Marketing-Group-RVW4035580.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">says a social media manager</a> at Abstrakt, a marketing company in St. Louis, Missouri. "Although I am kept busy, I also have a lot of fun at work and feel like I have a good work-life balance."</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 6. Group fitness instructor</h2> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <span class="lightbox-expand"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!8f29" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></span></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!8f29" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzMzL2dyb3VwZml0bmVzLmQ3ZWE2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/f6f54cba/df8/groupfitnessinstructor1.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Group fitness instructor" class="for-lightbox" data-caption="Group fitness instructors for classes such as pilates, yoga and spinning, have a 4.2 work-life balance rating." data-credit-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/familymwr/" data-credit-name="familymwr" data-credit-provider="Flickr" data-fragment="m!8f29" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzMzL2dyb3VwZml0bmVzLmQ3ZWE2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/f6f54cba/df8/groupfitnessinstructor1.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzMzL2dyb3VwZml0bmVzLmQ3ZWE2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/f6f54cba/df8/groupfitnessinstructor1.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" title="Group fitness instructor" /></div> <br /> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> Group fitness instructors for classes such as pilates, yoga and spinning, have a 4.2 work-life balance rating.</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/familymwr/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FAMILYMWR</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Working at a gym can have a number of perks, including a flexible schedule and a free membership to work out. It's no wonder being a fitness instructor lands in the sixth spot with a rating of <strong>4.2</strong>. About 43% believe the profession will improve, and 13% say it will get worse.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 7. User experience designer</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Fitness instructors just barely beat out user experience designers, who have a work-life balance rating of <strong>4.2</strong>. As for business outlook, 60% saying it will get better, while 15% think it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "The team is incredible, there are plenty of people to learn from, there are many perks and I always get the support I need to continually advance in my career," <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-LinkedIn-RVW4160415.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">says a user experience designer</a> at <a href="http://mashable.com/category/linkedin/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">LinkedIn</a>. "I also like maintaining a good work-life balance, and I can definitely do this at LinkedIn."</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 8. Corporate communications</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> In eighth place is corporate communications with a <strong>4.1</strong> rating, and 56% think the profession will get better, while a low 6% think it will get worse.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 9. Firefighter</h2> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <span class="lightbox-expand"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!7e42" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></span></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!7e42" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzRmL2ZpcmVmaWdodGVyLjA5Y2JmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bc7ef591/c9b/firefighters_topjob.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2014/07/18/jobs-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Firefighter" class="for-lightbox" data-caption="Firefighters nearly close out the top 10 list of jobs with the best work-life balance. " data-credit-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usaghumphreys/" data-credit-name="usaghumphreys" data-credit-provider="Flickr" data-fragment="m!7e42" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzRmL2ZpcmVmaWdodGVyLjA5Y2JmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bc7ef591/c9b/firefighters_topjob.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzRmL2ZpcmVmaWdodGVyLjA5Y2JmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bc7ef591/c9b/firefighters_topjob.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" title="Firefighter" /></div> <br /> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> Firefighters nearly close out the top 10 list of jobs with the best work-life balance.</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usaghumphreys/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">USAGHUMPHREYS</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Firefighters take the ninth spot with a work-life balance rating of <strong>4.1</strong>. Approximately 47% think the field will improve, while 17% think it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> An FDNY firefighter in New York <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-FDNY-RVW4286353.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">shares</a> that he has a flexible work schedule, good salary and that his co-workers have become a second family.</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> 10. Equity trader</h2> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Closing out the top 10 are equity traders, who have a work-life balance rating of a solid<strong>4.0</strong>. About 38% think the field will improve, while 38% also say it will get worse.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "The compensation is outstanding and there really is great work-life balance. Everyone you work with is highly intelligent. Leadership encourages innovation," <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Tradebot-RVW3439892.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">says an equity trader</a> at Tradebot, a broker-dealer in Kansas City, Missouri.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <strong>Curious to see which other jobs made the list? Check out the full report from Glassdoor below.</strong></div> <figure class="image" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <img alt="20 Highly Rated Jobs for Work-Life Balance" class="fullwidth" data-caption="A list of the top 20 highly rated jobs for work-life balance, according to Glassdoor. " data-credit-label="Glassdoor " data-credit-link="http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm" data-credit-name="Report" data-credit-provider="Custom type" data-width="490" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzE3LzIzLzIwSGlnaGx5UmF0LmI3YmVhLnBuZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/a1ae3f42/dec/20-Highly-Rated-Jobs-for-Work-Life-Balance.-Glassdoor-Report1.png" style="border: 0px; max-width: 95%; vertical-align: middle; width: 593.75px;" title="20 Highly Rated Jobs for Work-Life Balance" /></div> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> A list of the top 20 highly rated jobs for work-life balance, according to Glassdoor.</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-size: 0.9rem; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: GLASSDOOR <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">REPORT</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

Top 10 Jobs With the Highest Work-Life Balance

Balancing your career and personal life is no easy task. But if you're a data scientist, tour guide or social media manager, it may...

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6 tech hacks to master your work/life balance

<img alt="Worklife_balance_thumb" height="359" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzI3LzM5L3dvcmtsaWZlX2JhLjFjNDU3LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/17643af5/f62/worklife_balance_thumb.jpg" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 28.4895839691162px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Hearing more chatter — either at home or at work, or both — about work/life balance?</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> You're not alone.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> While the concept of a balance between your work and your play has been around for decades, more companies today, especially startups, are putting work/life balance at the forefront of their recruiting.</div> <div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;"> <div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> As new policies enter the workplace, employees are also engineering their own methods to balance their careers and social lives.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Here are six ways technology can help you find a more equitable balance between your work life and home life — and help you maximize productivity in both areas.</div> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">1. Master your inbox</span></h2> <figure class="image" style="margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!99d1" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!99d1" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzcyL0VtYWlsX1N1YnNjLjQ3MDIzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/74ed001b/322/Email_Subscribers.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Email_Subscribers" class="popout" data-caption="" data-credit-label="Mashable" data-credit-link="" data-credit-name="Christina Ascani" data-credit-provider="Custom type" data-fragment="m!99d1" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzcyL0VtYWlsX1N1YnNjLjQ3MDIzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/74ed001b/322/Email_Subscribers.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzcyL0VtYWlsX1N1YnNjLjQ3MDIzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/74ed001b/322/Email_Subscribers.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Email_Subscribers" /></div> <br /> <div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: MASHABLE CHRISTINA ASCANI</div> </div> </figure><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> With smartphones, we're always on. An email reminder at 8 p.m. can easily spiral into a two-hour long back-and-forth that shifts your attention away from family, friends and leisure.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If being on-call isn't mission critical to your job, prioritize certain messages in your inbox and ignore others.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Ask your IT team to set up a coded inbox system that identifies messages as urgent and non-urgent and notes the time a sender needs a response by.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If possible, hold non-urgent messages until the morning.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Also, see if your company's operations department is interested in limiting "reply-all" emails that include dozens of recipients.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> While they may not draw you away for long periods of times, reply-alls can distract you during your off hours.</div> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">2. Wear a fitness tracker to make sure you're active at home and the office</span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Wearables can help you maximize a number of activities that affect your work/life balance. The first is sleep.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Use your fitness tracker to monitor your sleep cycle and find the best time to wake up. The more you snooze in the morning, the less likely it is that you'll have enough time to eat breakfast, exercise or accomplish important tasks in the morning.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Additionally, fitness bands can send your alerts when you're idle. That could be when you're at your desk and haven't gotten up in hours, or when you're home on the couch not getting any work done (the lesser talked-about side of a bad work/life balance).</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Finally, trackers will watch your activity levels and help you set goals. If fitness before, after or during work is important to you, a wearable device can offer personalized recommendations to help you reach specific goals, like walking two miles a day or reducing the amount of time you spend sitting.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> It can also put those items on your calendar, so you don't forget them.</div> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">3. Plan your dream vacation; you don't have to take it this year</span></h2> <figure class="image" style="margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!f540" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!f540" data-image="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5L2FmLzM4MzczMDM0MzUuZjMxODEuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/3aa0406e/da6/3837303435_b26524ba92_o.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="beach" class="popout" data-caption="Jonufer Beach, Vlore, Albania" data-credit-link="https://www.flickr.com/people/13832715@N05/" data-credit-name="Godo Godaj" data-credit-provider="Flickr" data-fragment="m!f540" data-image="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5L2FmLzM4MzczMDM0MzUuZjMxODEuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/3aa0406e/da6/3837303435_b26524ba92_o.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5L2FmLzM4MzczMDM0MzUuZjMxODEuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/3aa0406e/da6/3837303435_b26524ba92_o.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%; vertical-align: middle;" title="beach" /></div> <br /> <figcaption class="image-caption" style="-webkit-transition: max-height 0.2s; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); bottom: -1px; color: #dddddd; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: max-height 0.2s;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> Jonufer Beach, Vlore, Albania</div> </figcaption><div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/13832715@N05/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">GODO GODAJ</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> A girl can dream can't she?</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> While your dream vacation may always seem years away, try to bring it closer to fruition through <a href="http://www.touristeye.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">TouristEye</a>. This allows you to create a vacation bucket list as you discover destinations and plan local experiences.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> With more than 250,000 locations and experiences, you can plan far-off trips or simple weekend getaways on TouristEye. You're also able to use the site to share your developing itinerary with friends and family and let them add on.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> When you use TouristEye, embrace the concept of a bucket list; not all the trips you conceive have to be taken in the next calendar year.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> From a work/life balance standpoint, just being able to visualize a vacation before you take it can release stress and give you something to look forward to.</div> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">4. Cut down on excessive meetings that create more meetings and needless work</span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If meetings are a major part of your workday, there's a good chance they could be keeping you at the office and cutting into your free time.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> According to <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographic" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Atlassian</a>, workers spend 31 hours a month in unproductive meetings — time that could be better spent being productive or leaving work earlier.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> To avoid excessive meetings that butt into your free time and hamper your productivity, ask your operations department about policies and technology that could put a cap on the number of meetings you can be invited to.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Further, ask if the company is interested in establishing restricted blocks around lunchtime, so no meetings can be scheduled during time when workers could be decompressing.</div> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">5. Work from home...and stay organised</span></h2> <figure class="image" style="margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!271a" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!271a" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzA1L1dvcmtpbmdGcm9tLjhiZmVhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fde5fbc5/6d2/Working-From-Home.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/05/27/hacks-work-life-balance/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> <img alt="Working From Home" class="popout" data-caption="" data-credit-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davemorris/5201857996/sizes/l" data-credit-name="Dave Morris" data-credit-provider="Flickr" data-fragment="m!271a" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzA1L1dvcmtpbmdGcm9tLjhiZmVhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fde5fbc5/6d2/Working-From-Home.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1920" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA1LzE5LzA1L1dvcmtpbmdGcm9tLjhiZmVhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fde5fbc5/6d2/Working-From-Home.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%; vertical-align: middle;" title="Working From Home" /></div> <br /> <div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> IMAGE: FLICKR, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davemorris/5201857996/sizes/l" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">DAVE MORRIS</a></div> </div> </figure><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Long commutes and longer hours are the bane of work/life balance, especially if you're stuck in a cramped cubicle. Both, more often than not, cause you to feel stressed, restless and shackled.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Remote work, on the other hand, is commonly associated with feelings of comfort and independence, especially for those coming from corporate backgrounds.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> According to a <a href="http://qje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/11/20/qje.qju032.full.pdf+html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">recent study</a> performed at a large travel agency in China, remote workers demonstrated increased productivity and reported higher worker satisfaction and less exhaustion.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Respondents told the <em>Harvard Business Review</em> that they were more productive because their homes were quieter than their office.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Though telecommuting can be a great way to achieve a more equitable work/life balance, it helps to have technology on your side. Here are two tools for remote workers.</div> <ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.5em; padding: 0px;"> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <strong>Trello</strong></div> </li> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Trello helps remote workers organise their tasks. The program lets users drag and drop to sort by deadline and write comments to track progress. Managers can easily assign you tasks, which you can pass them onto team members when they're complete.</div> <li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <strong>HipChat</strong></div> </li> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> For more on-demand communication, turn to HipChat. The software lets you chat with your co-workers — both in one-on-one and group settings — and set notifications for different functions, like when your inbox hits zero or your project goes live.</div> </ul> <h2 style="clear: left; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="font-size: small;">6. Cut down on your social media usage; it's distracting you at work and cannibalising your free time</span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Whether you're at home or at work, there's a good chance you're dawdling on social media.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> According to GlobalWebIndex, people <a href="http://www.globalwebindex.net/blog/daily-time-spent-on-social-networks-rises-to-1-72-hours" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">spend 1.72 hours</a> per day on social networks.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you can decrease the amount of time you spend on social media, there's a good chance you'll be more productive and enjoy your free time more.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <a href="https://www.rescuetime.com/features" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">RescueTime</a> is a software that monitors your social media usage and helps you spot areas of overactivity (maybe Saturday mornings are a problem?) and set goals (try only looking at Facebook on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and only for 15 minutes).</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you go over your limit, RescueTime will send you a notification alerting you of your digital transgression.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> If you really want to crack down on all social media, RescueTime will block access to the worst offenders.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Social media is certainly not a bad thing, but if it's eating into your leisure time, you may want to rein in your activity.</div> <div> <br /></div> </section>

6 tech hacks to master your work/life balance

Hearing more chatter — either at home or at work, or both — about work/life balance? You're not alone. While the concept of a bal...

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